A green sustainable strategy for eco‐friendly sublimation transfer printing and multifunctional finishing of cotton/polyester blended fabrics using eco‐functional additives

An eco‐friendly sustainable strategy for combined transfer printing and durable multifunctional finishing of cotton/polyester blended fabrics using Vanillin, Clove, Tulsi, Thyme, Ginger, or Aloe vera as a green functional additive along with citric acid/sodium‐hypophosphite (CA/SHP) as an eco‐friendly ester crosslinker in the finishing bath has been developed. The experimental results demonstrate that the extent of sublimation transfer printability and the imparted multifunctionalities like antimicrobial, anti‐ultraviolet (UV), anti‐crease and fragrance release properties are governed by type and concentration of functional additive, kind of substrate, as well as affinity and substantivity of polyester/cotton components for the sublimable disperse dye during the thermofixation step. The mode of interactions among the finishing bath constituents, the treated substrate, and the disperse dye were suggested. The obtained results also revealed that the imparted functional properties to the cotton/polyester 50/50 blend fabric functionalised with Vanillin (20 g/L), CA/SHP (25/20 g/L), and β‐cyclodextrin (10 g/L) exhibited excellent durability to wash after 10 washing cycles. The suggested strategy can be scaled up for industrial implementation to upgrade both the quality and functionality of transfer printed protective textiles, taking into consideration quality, ecology, and economic concerns.